Anderson chasing 1,000th first-class wicket as he prepares to face Northants

England star James Anderson is set to play for Lancashire against Northants at the County Ground on Thursday - and he will be chasing his 1,000th career wicket.
England bowler James Anderson has been named in the Lancashire squad to play Northants at the County GroundEngland bowler James Anderson has been named in the Lancashire squad to play Northants at the County Ground
England bowler James Anderson has been named in the Lancashire squad to play Northants at the County Ground

The country’s all-time leading Test wicket taker has been named in the Red Rose’s 13-man squad for the trip to Wantage Road to take on David Ripley’s men in the LV= Insurance County Championship Group 3 clash.

Anderson returned to the Lancashire squad for their recent game against Glamorgan, playing for his home county for the first time since 2019.

His inclusion will be an added bonus for the Northants supporters who will be at the game, with fans being allowed back into Wantage Road for the first time in 20 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anderson was this week named in the England squad for the forthcoming Test series against New Zealand, when he will be aiming to add to his record tally of 614 wickets.

He also only needs eight more wickets to reach the career milestone of 1,000 scalps, and when he gets there he will be the first Lancashire bowler to manage that monumental tally since Jack Simmons in 1989.

Anderson claimed three for 40 from 24 overs in the rain-hit draw with Glamorgan, having recovered from a calf injury, and Red Rose head coach Glenn Chapple said: “I thought Jimmy bowled brilliantly to say that’s his first game for a couple of months.

“It was an outstanding performance and once again evidence of how committed he is to his cricket and to playing for both England and Lancashire.”

Lancashire go into the game in second place in Group 3, a handful of points behind leaders Yorkshire and 35 points better off than fourth-placed Northants.

The Red Rose were winners when the two sides met at Old Trafford last month, although Northants got within 13 agonising overs of claiming a draw.

Chapple is certainly wary of what the County have to offer, but knows this match gives his team a great chance of really cementing a top two place.

"A lot of the teams look strong this year, and Northants are playing good cricket, so it will be a real test," he said.

“Where they are in the table makes it really clear that if we get a good result there it will put us in a fabulous position.

"It will be another big game, and one we are looking forward to.”

Lancashire squad to face Northants: Dane Vilas, James Anderson Tom Bailey, Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Keaton Jennings, Danny Lamb, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Luke Wells, Luke Wood